If you’re new to Linux and open-source software, you will quickly find that there are many terms to learn. Or maybe you’ve come across a word or two in your journey and found yourself lost.

Jack Wallen, writing for TechRepublic Premium, has collected more than 40 terms that are commonly used within the open-source and Linux communities. These are terms that aren’t always in the regular parlance.

Novices, take note: We’ve avoided adding commands and applications to this list and stuck with more general terms. Hopefully, this short glossary will help clear your path to Linux administration.

• Featured definition from the glossary:

  Shell.

  An environment that makes it possible for users to interact with a computer. Although shells can be technical, either a terminal window environment or a desktop environment, it is commonly accepted that a shell only refers to the CLI.

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